SMALL rural communities at the heart of Reiver Country were able to lay out a strong vision for the future - after a helping hand from royalty.
The community-based initiative - the Forgotten Lands project - became a reality after a top-secret visit to the home of Roadhead farmer Steve Pattinson in 2014 by Prince Charles.
The Prince of Wales later revealed his wish to contribute £10,000 to a community fund from his own pocket after hearing how the community struggled from the fallout from wet weather and devastating animal disease.
“That cash bailout opened the doors to other funding and helped us to start up a fund that was used to help not only the farming community, but the young people in that area,” said Mr Pattinson this week.
Prince Charles had sat at Mr Pattinson’s kitchen table with other farm leaders and heard first-hand the bleak picture facing the Roadhead/Bewcastle area.
“This has been farmed land for thousands of years producing food in harmony with local flora and fauna. Prince Charles was truly passionate and spent so much time with us.
"Nobody was listening, but he did. I am confident as King he will never stop caring about farming and the environment,” added Mr Pattinson.
The idea for the Prince’s Countryside Fund came when the king, then Prince Charles, was staying with friends in Cumbria.
“Everyone has their favourite B&B,” he was quoted as saying, “and mine belongs to Joe and Hazel Relph in Borrowdale”.
The Prince first met the Relphs, upland sheep farmers, at their home at Yew Tree Farm, Rosthwaite – when foot and mouth had devastated Cumbria in 2001. He has been back to visit on numerous occasions.
Mrs Relph said: “At the time, it didn’t really sink in and I was treating it just like any other inquiry, saying, ‘OK, that day’s not free, but this one is’, until we found suitable dates. Then I put the phone down and thought ‘oh wow’.”
His visit to the £25-a-night farmhouse was shrouded in secrecy, with no one but the Relphs in the tiny village of Rosthwaite, Borrowdale, knowing the identity of the peak-capped figure who marched off into the Cumbrian hills on rain-swept walks.
Prince Charles has been quoted as saying the place is a highly recommended establishment: “a marvellous, cosy place, very special. The food’s splendid.”
This week Joe and Hazel Relph said of the King: “We have been lucky on many occasions to see how tirelessly he works, and we are blessed to have him as our King.”
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